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Duodenum Excision Cures for Diabetes

Millions of Americans suffer from Type 2 diabetes, which, if not treated and managed, can cause a variety of long-term chronic illnesses including cardiovascular disease, poor circulation and severe nerve damage. Duodenum surgeries like gastric bypass weight-loss surgery and duodenal-jejunal bypass have been effective in eliminating Type 2 diabetes. The surgical procedures have given individual diabetics new life and may turn out to be an effective weapon against the disease, which is on the increase in the general population.

  1. Duodenum Surgery

    • Duodenum surgeries involve removing the upper part of the small intestine, where digestive activities take place. The small intestine controls glucose and blood sugar production and rerouting the digestive tract causes blood sugar levels to drop and stabilize. Therefore, the upper small intestine must be bypassed in order to allow type 2 diabetics to have normal insulin production and absorption.

    Roux-en-Y

    • Roux-en-Y is the most commonly performed gastric bypass procedure. Roux-en Y is a less invasive weight loss surgery that involves creating a small stomach pouch by blocking access to 90 percent of the stomach. The new stomach pouch is then directly connected to the lower small intestine. After food is held in the new stomach pouch, it bypasses the upper small intestine and is sent directly to the lower small intestine. The procedure is highly effective in inducing weight loss, treating sleep apnea and lowering blood pressure. Moreover, the procedure has been effective in eliminating Type 2 diabetes in 80 percent of obese people.

    Biliopancreatic Diversion with Duodenal Switch

    • Biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch is a more invasive weight loss surgery that is similar to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass; however, it does not involve the creation of a stomach pouch. Instead, a sleeve shaped stomach is created and it is directly connected to the lower part of the small intestine. Biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch is generally performed on obese people with a very high body mass index. The procedure has been shown to eliminate diabetes in 98.9 percent of patients.

    Duodenal-Jejunal Bypass

    • Surgeons at the University of Chicago Medical Center and the Sound Shore Medical Center of Westchester in New York have been using a new surgical technique to mimic gastric bypass' effects on diabetes in non-obese diabetics. Duodenal-jejunal bypass has been designed to completely resolve Type 2 diabetes through a laparoscopic duodenal switch procedure that does not induce weight loss.

      Dudonal-jejunal bypass involves removing 12 inches of the upper small intestine and rearranging the digestive tract. Food is prevented from coming into contact with the small intestine in order to control blood sugar levels. The surgery has been highly effective in eliminating Type 2 diabetes in the population surveyed.

      Duodonal-jejunal bypass has not been implemented in the U.S. outside of the research trials. However, its initial success rate leads doctors believe that duodenal-jejunal bypass will become a widely practiced procedure that will cure Type 2 diabetes in non-obese people.

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